Video and audio media, such as television programs, pay-per-view programs, near-video-on-demand (NVOD) programs, video-on-demand (VOD) programs, music, promotional material, and other types of media, may be distributed to viewers over wired and wireless networks. Suitable wired and wireless networks may include, for example, broadcast television system networks, one-way and two-way cable television system networks, digital broadcasting services (DBS) and other satellite delivery services networks, the Internet, and other suitable types of networks. Near video-on-demand (NVOD) and video-on-demand (VOD) systems have been developed that allow television viewers to watch programs nearly on demand or on demand.
Viewers and listeners of such media typically record such media on videocassettes, audiocassettes, and other storage media. More recently, products have been developed that allow users to manage their viewing experiences and record media with increased flexibility. Personal video recorders (PVRs), such as those provided by TIVO and REPLAY, record programs on hard-disk drives. Users can schedule programs for recording and play them back at a later time. These systems also record what users are watching in real-time, allowing users to pause real-time programs when, for example, they must leave the room. Users may resume their viewing upon returning, where they left off, and may even fast forward through commercials until they reach the point at which the program is currently provided. Users may also rewind programs.
Recording capabilities of current technologies and the vast amount of media offered through current media distribution systems such as cable television systems, digital broadcasting services, the Internet, and other systems, provide users with an enormous amount of available media at any given point in time. When a user asks “what's on now”, the answer can be any one of a number of different types of media from different sources. Improving the user interfaces of interactive media guides, such as television program guides, guides for audio services, guides for personal video recorders (PVRS), or any other suitable interactive media guide, may increase the ease with which users navigate through stored and distributed media.